Andrew Noble has been proclaimed as the winner of the Feds Presidential race. Photo Credit: Albertus Mahaputhera

After two weeks of campaigning, two debates, three days of polling, and 27 allegations, the results are in for the Feds Elections 2012. Voter turnout varied between the races, with the highest being for Environment councillor (21.57 per cent) and the lowest turnout was for vice-president internal (9.2 per cent).

Several candidates were disqualified; they were Kevin Knapp (for president), Muhammad Saleem Khan (for senate-at-large to 2013), Tushar Dhoot (for Math councillor), and Dominik Chlobowski (for president).

Andrew Noble won the president position with 803 votes, Prashant Kumar Patel was re-elected to vice-president administration & finance with 1163 votes, and Alexandra Russell was elected with 959 votes to vice-president internal. The closest race was for vice-president education; Adam Garcia was elected with 761 votes, only three votes over Christina Romualdo.

Results

President (9.94% turnout)

Andrew Noble 803

Kevin Knapp 465 (disqualified)

Declined 372

Christopher Letnick 177

Robert William Savoy 143

John Stevenson 131

Other candidates 601 (42 other candidates with at least 2 votes and at most 54 votes)

Vice-president Administration and Finance (9.23% turnout)

Prashant Patel Kumar 1163

Candance Parsons 887

Declined 448

Vice-president Internal (9.20% turnout)

Alexandra Russell 959

Nick Philip 758

Declined 473

Darcy Alemany 301

Vice-president Education (9.46% turnout)

Adam Garcia 761

Christina Romualdo 758

Declined 426

Andre Magalhaes 346

Trevor Fairey 269

Councillors

Applied Health Sciences

Nickta Jowhari (acclaimed)

Architecture

Sean Maciel (acclaimed)

Arts

Fangzhou Chen (acclaimed)

Maria Garcete (acclaimed)

Sheikh Muhammad Haider (acclaimed)

Taimur Khawaja (acclaimed)

Abdul Rafay Naeem (acclaimed)

Phil Grove (acclaimed, to April 2012)

Dylan Ball (acclaimed, to April 2012)

Kevin Seemangal (acclaimed, to April 2012)

Engineering

Fahad Hassan Al-Jaufy (acclaimed)

Talha Aziz Beg (acclaimed)

Asad Sheikh (acclaimed)

Environment (21.57% turnout)

David Collins 268

Declined 114

Hamza Sheikh 82

Math (20.72% turnout)

Shou Wang 249

Babar Ayyaz 209

Jesse McGinnis 205

Elizabeth McFaul 203

Ahsan Khalid 194

Declined 183

Tushar Dhoot 100 (disqualified)

Renison

Stephanie Niesner (acclaimed)

Science

Nikki Domanski (acclaimed)

Lauren Harrison (acclaimed)

Hassan Iqbal (acclaimed)

Nicollette Zapstes (acclaimed)

St. Jerome’s

Vacant

Senate

Arts

Renishaki Kamalanathan (acclaimed)

Applied Health Sciences

Brad Henry (acclaimed)

Environment

Diego Almaraz (acclaimed)

Science

Nicolletee Zapstes (acclaimed)

At-Large to 2013

Sean Hunt 1172

Declined 919

Muhammad Saleem Khan 896 (disqualified)

At-Large to 2014

Declined 1035

Chanakya Ramdev 893

Waleed Tahir 725

More details and analysis to come.

First paragraph, and we’re already off-topic.

See, there’s not much that can be said about love video games that hasn’t already been said. You’re usually the guy who gets all the girls, the guy who gets his girl, or the guy who doesn’t want girls but obviously is too much of a “badass” to care. We’ve all seen this. Movies, poetry, book, TV shows, anything you can think of really plays off of these characters. I mean, sure, you might have that one odd fellow who seems to stick out, but in the end, when you boil that character down, it goes back to the three I’ve defined.

So now that I’ve touched on the necessary polite topic of Valentine’s Day and all that, let’s talk about something more fun: adult games. More specifically, games that actively promote sexual content, as in “that stuff that mom and dad didn’t know existed on the internet, so you found it at a flash game website”; you know, that stuff.

Let us begin with the magical year of sometime around 2002. Somewhere in the rising phallic object that was the internet, the sensation that was Make a Britney was becoming a hit on Newgrounds.com. On this collection of flash games submitted purely by users, other pornographic oddities were made too.

Early versions of strip poker, Hentai Dating Sims, and even porn collecting adventure games were being made for those under 18 but claiming to be 18 and those above 18 to enjoy. It was fun to be had by all, and probably not so fun for mom and dad who had to explain to little Billy why he was beginning to get erections.

Over the years, these sorts of games have begun to spin out more and more in both variety, and quality. The levels in which the Japanese go to achieve this sort of perverted-ness is something that I can only imagine in the dark recess of my mind. On the flip side, it is only something that can probably be found on the dark recess of the internet, but I digress.

So obviously these adult games are here to stay, but you will never see them on mainstream. Why? Unlike movies or television where things like melons, jugs, big puppies, and breasts had the time to settle down onto the home screen, when half an asscheek gets shown in a video game, it’s somehow a crime. A sin against nature, almost like a sign that Jesus himself would come back and brand us all unworthy of whatever afterlife you believe in if you looked at that half ass cheek.

So what is it with gaming and sexuality that seems to leave this bitter taste after suckling on the industry for so long? Well, for one, marketing. How well would a game sell if it was “Adults Only” versus “Mature ” all depends on its content. That means that Adult Only might allow something like your favourite female character from Adventure Game #74625 to get herself into a bald eagle, while M probably means she can show off her (gasp!) shaved legs. How naughty.

Of course the former sounds more fun, but not for your parents. See, something that really confuses me about parents is that Call of Duty can be marketed to them, where people get blown to shreds, but when it comes to a news report about Mass Effect showing ass for five seconds? Whoa! Call in the moms and dads! The family’s core value is going down the drain!

So marketing is a big factor, and obviously having that much adult content just makes you a pervert. Then the question becomes, what is appropriate for us to consider? Maybe it’s high time we looked into the sexual contents of video games rather than just shunning it. I mean, there are entire websites nowadays devoted to games with sexuality. I can only really recall Second Life, as an example of something like this. A massive multiplayer online game where you can pretty much do anything as long as you can create it, but that’s hardly perverted because you can avoid it.

To end all of this, happy Steaks and Blowjobs Day for the guys who successfully traversed the minefield that was Valentines. Trust me, it’s a hell of a minefield.

Nintendo

Mario Kart 7
3DS
Nintendo

I’m not entirely sure why Nintendo decided to point out that this is indeed the seventh entry in the series, this is the only sequel in the series to be numbered. But it hasn’t stopped Mario Kart 7 from being a great entry in the often replicated, never duplicated Mario Kart series.

It’s Mario Kart, the famous kart racing with items spanning nearly 20 years. The game has not changed from that format at all, and doesn’t need to, so the devil is in the details when covering this game.

The driving is slick as usual. Coming off of playing older versions of Mario Kart, or competing titles like ModNation Racers, it makes you realize just how great the controls are in comparison.

Driving is incredibly responsive. I’ll be drifting all over the place, and the controls will respond accordingly. If you screw up, it’s your fault, not the game’s. Well that, or you’ve been hit by one of the multitude of items, but that’s part of the game.

There are some new mechanics introduced to the usual kart racing and items. Most notable are the flying mechanics, jumping off a blue ramp will cause your cart to sprout a glider. It’s mostly just a little throwaway addition to the usual jumps of Mario Kart. They often feel tacked on, though every once in a while, there’s a shortcut or extra coin you can get from flying the right way.

It’s mostly a way to cater to the 3D gimmick, like in Pilotwings Resort, 3D is admittedly advantageous when flying in a 3D space. Overall, the 3D works well in Mario Kart 7, depth perception surely benefits people who are driving.

Another addition is the ability to go underwater. After six games worth of being slowed down or knocked out by water, simply being able to go underwater with no hinderance is liberating. It’s fun having to deal with the floaty jumps of the water portions of track, and it adds a new level of play to some retro courses.

Collectable coins on the tracks finally return to the series, speeding up your kart as you collect them, and collecting a certain amount will unlock new parts for your kart. It’s a nice addition to the usual driving and item collecting, as is the return of tricks. A carry over from Mario Kart Wii, you gain boost of speed from jumps by pressing “R” right when you leave the ground, as opposed to the motion controls from the Wii.

Drifting has changed a bit, it’s harder to use the technique known as “snaking” to get ahead, so drifting seems to be closer to its intended purpose. It’s all very technical, so you may need to try it yourself in this regard.

Three new items are included this time around. The “Fire Flower” shoots out fireballs, and “Super Leaf” gives you a “Tanooki tail,” just like their Super Mario Bros. counterparts. The coolest new item is the “Lucky 7,” giving you seven fully usable items floating around your kart. Hectic to use, but all sorts of fun.

Of course, what would Mario Kart be without the courses.

All range from decent to really cool. Some standouts are the Wuhu Island courses featuring the island from Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit. Another cool course is Music Park, a track made of piano keys and xylophone, where the music actually changes when you drive on top of them. This game’s renditions of series staples Bowser’s Castle and Rainbow Road are some of the best in the whole series. Retro tracks, a tradition since Mario Kart DS, return, with tracks such as the Wii’s Coconut Mall, and DS’ Waluigi Pinball as personal favourites.

Of note is the use of StreetPass in this title. Passing by other players on the street will pass on information to your game. They’ll then start to appear as an AI in your Grand Prix races, you’ll be able to compete against their Ghost Data and even play against them online.

Online play works about as well as the Wii version though I did suffer a fair bit of lost connections. Local Multiplayer is superior for this type of game anyway, and this version offers download play for other 3DS owners you may know.

It is a well done portable version of a long running franchise with plenty of additions that never detract from the experience and highly recommended for any 3DS owner.

Summit Entertainment

Man on a Ledge, despite what the creative title would have you believe, is a heist movie.  Sam Worthington plays Nick Cassidy, a recently escaped convict looking for freedom, fortune, and exoneration.

Cassidy ostensibly contemplates suicide on the side of a hotel while surreptitiously orchestrating a poorly planned break-in of businessman Englander’s (Ed Harris) diamond-concealing building across the street. Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), a disgraced police negotiator, comes to the rescue at Cassidy’s request, but doesn’t do much else. The rest is a bumbling robbery, a nonsensical reveal, and a painfully contrived Hollywood ending.

The acting was unimpressive, unemotional, and uninteresting; there was more wood here than a Robax Platinum commercial. No actor shone in Man on a Ledge, but Worthington was the worst. After Mad Max 2, Mel Gibson dropped his Aussie accent faster than he fell off the wagon, but with Worthington it still sticks, like tar or crazy-glue. It was bad in Avatar, it was bad in COD: Black Ops, and it certainly hasn’t improved here.

Even if great actors were cast, they wouldn’t get very far. Neither the script nor the plot leave room for emotional development, internal conflict, or character building. All the actors are like action figures in a children’s game, placeholders for one dimensional line-spewers and plot-prodders. Characters are flat, uninteresting, and some are irredeemably unlikeable. The audience has no reason or motivation to connect with or invest in anyone. By the time New Yorkers start to chant “JUMP! JUMP!” up at Cassidy, I sympathized with the crowd, not the man.

Character dialogue is uncreative and sometimes laughably weak. After being criticized on TV by a female reporter, all Mercer can say is “I hate that bitch.” When an officer tries to remove her from a room, claiming “I have orders,” she snaps back with the zinger: “your orders are wrong.” My favourite moment features Cassidy, standing on a little promontory on the hotel’s side, yelling “YEAH! YEAH!” and waving a hamburger to the New York mob below. There was no reason for this.

I won’t give away the ending, mostly because it doesn’t make sense and I don’t understand it. All the questions the audience has about plot, all the issues and consequences the characters have to face, all problems left to be resolved are wiped away with an unseen phone call. The ending is more of an explanatory footnote than an exciting conclusion.

Good heist movies have varying and diverse personalities, with all the clashes, conflicts and reconciliations necessary for the characters’ success. Instead, in Man on a Ledge, we get a pair of young, hip, youngster hipsters bumbling their way through a New York highrise.

There is no planning scene, no character introduction, no team-building and it’s just not cool. The opening scene in Snatch has more grit, style and heart-pounding fun than the entire robbery. Don’t waste your time or money with this film; watch Heat, or even better, Kubric’s The Killing if you want a real heist movie. Even The Pink Panther has a bigger rock.

By Winona So

Many were watching and listening in Feds’ first annual Campus Idol held on Feb. 9 in the Bombshelter Pub. Friends and family were in attendance, some even bringing handmade signs, sitting close together with a slight fervency in the air. Auditions had been held earlier and the top 10 were chosen to perform, so it was expected that there would be apparent talent that night.

The lights dimmed and up walked the two MCs for the night, where one  would prove to be the more hospitable and awkwardly charming, creating laughs every time there was a silence (usually due to the dry script or mispronunciations). They introduced the judges, a seasoned singer and songwriter, a vocal coach, and Feds President Matt Colphon. The two former judges gave good criticism, the vocal coach being a bit more critical. Colphon, however, made it explicitly aware that he didn’t have the technical knowledge nor would he speak like he did, though wound up being helpful in his critique and praise.

Once the formalities were out the way, the first round started and contestant number one, Robert Kovanchak, stepped onto the stage. With shaky hands and tight breaths, Kovanchak began singing “Stop and Stare” by OneRepublic. His rendition, although pitchy at times, was alright but left no lasting impression.

It would prove to be a decent opening act as Alyssa Lofgren swooped in to sing a gospel song in acapella which was soft and calming. Following her was a lacklustre performance by Andrew Zhuang. It began nicely enough but lost bearing at the end and the judges were sure to note it.

The next contestant silenced the crowd and the judges in disbelief, and would do so further into the competition. Liubou Yudasina was the best vocally, never missing a note and belting out a large operatic range. She also entertained a few times by having a very convincing dog bark. As great as she was, it would prove unfortunate for the coming contestant.

Lehle Balde did not sway over many and a few grimaces could be seen if one were to look around. On her behalf, she was obviously battling nerves and containing herself vocally and physically, rarely changing position. Afterwards, Aaron Chen soothed the crowd with a quieter melody and Lana Fell swayed over judges with her vocal potential and her choice of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams.”

Then came along the tiniest competitor but in no means lacking. Clarissa Diokno slammed the audience with her voice and stage presence. Part of a local band here in the Waterloo area, it was apparent she knew how to move with the song. Swooner Sam Bartel trailed after and had all the women (and a few men) blushing while singing “Everything” by Michael Buble.

First Place: Sam Bartel, Environmental Engineering. Song of the night: “Everything” by Michael Buble. Conductor of the Water Boys, Bartel has a quiet style and sets the mood with his presence. Photo: Kristina Mahendran

Rounding out the top 10 was Sanya Arora. Undoubtedly the most unique, Arora performed a medley of sorts, mostly rapping and singing at a few parts. Her vocal talents weren’t showcased as much as they could be, though it was entertaining all the same.

The judges had a bit of a decision to make, and once the first intermission passed, they chose Lofgren, Yudasina, Fell, Diokno, and Bartel. The contestants would now sing two songs intermittently between each other.

Yudasina continued her stellar performance and Fell stepped it up a notch, strutting her feathers in classics like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by The Beatles and “Somebody to Love” by Jefferson Airplane. Surprising to all was the step down Diokno took when singing the sappy love ballad “Open Arms” by Journey and her second song didn’t do much to save her.

Bartel also didn’t seem up to snuff either, singing more love songs and doing little to show variety. Lofgren, on the other hand, took a step forward in her emotive ability. She did well by really grabbing the empathetic nature in the song “Arms” by Christina Perri and hitting high notes that created a few goose-bumps in “The Cave” by Mumford and Sons. When it came down to choosing the final two, Yudasina was a shoe-in and Lofgren a harder, but undeniable choice. The judges decided that Yudasina and Bartel should continue, much to the astonishment of some.

Bartel would stick to his motif and sang Augustana’s “Boston” while Yudasina sang a haunting Russian piece of music that even had a Aesopian preamble. At the end, the audience got to decide who won by their applause. Yudasina was a clear frontrunner but the crowd had more weight in number toward Bartel and he would end up the victor.

It was an eventful night to say the least, with many unforeseen twists that left many talking and arguing about their favourites. This is sure to be a main draw for years to come and it’s clear UW has some hidden talents.

Doctors are crying success after a first-of-its-kind stem cell was used in the regeneration of damaged heart tissue. 17 patients participated in a study on the regeneration of scar tissue after a heart attack. Nine were given the stem cell treatment, while eight were part of the control group.

The study showed that scar tissue was reduced by an average of 50 per cent in patients who received the stem cell treatment, while those in the control group showed no signs of improvement.

This treatment for heart attack scars has broken new ground since prior to this treatment, a patients’ best hope was to have his/her arteries opened wide as soon as possible after a heart attack. This would hopefully minimize the damage from the heart attacks, but could do nothing to repair the damage done.

“This discovery challenges the conventional wisdom that, once established, scar is permanent and that, once lost, healthy heart muscle cannot be restored,” said Eduardo Marbán.

This study was developed by Marbán, who is a researcher at John Hopkins University. A patent has been filed on the process by the university, and a license on the patent has been awarded to a company in which Marbán has a financial interest in.

Brain manipulation used to cure pain

Researchers at the University of McGill have found the key to what causes pain in the brain, and more importantly are suggesting how the pain can be erased. The method will rely on blocking the protein PKMzeta from accessing the central nervous system.

PKM has been found to increase after painful experiences and during chronic pains. The PKM could be blocked by using capsaicin, which is the oil that can be found in hot peppers that give them the spicy taste. This substance would erase the pain memory trace between neurons.By erasing the pain memory trace the treatment could potentially alleviate chronic and persistent pains.

“Many pain medications target pain at the peripheral level, by reducing inflammation, or by activating analgesia systems in the brain to reduce the feeling of pain,” says Terence Coderre, who is also affiliated with the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

“This is the first time that we can foresee medications that will target an established pain memory trace as a way of reducing pain hypersensitivity. We believe it’s an avenue that may offer new hope to those suffering from chronic pain.”

Vodka evokes creativity

In a research study conducted on the effects of alcohol on complex word associations, there were interesting results.

“Sudden, intuitive insights into tricky word-association problems occurred more frequently when men were intoxicated but not legally drunk,” says psychology graduate student Andrew Jarosz of the University of Illinois at Chicago.

This was tested by having a group of students from the university drink until their blood alcohol level reached an average of 0.075. Another group was not given any food or alcoholic drinks. The two groups were then confronted with complex word problems such as finding a common word that is applicable to peach, arm, and tar (pit).

The group of slightly inebriated individuals solved the problem in an average of 11.5 seconds while the sober participants took 15.2 seconds, almost 50 per cent longer to solve the same problem.

It has also been reported that intoxicated individuals are less afraid to make mistakes and are in general more confident than their sober counterparts.

This may be the reason that comedians can occasionally be seen with a drink in their hand while doing their shows. Perhaps next time you need to give a speech, you should consider putting some Russian water into your morning java.

— With files from Science Daily, BBC, and Science News

Business ownership refers to the legal structure of a business. In Canada, there are four basic forms: sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, and cooperative.  In this article, we’ll focus on the first three, and provide examples that are either founded by University of Waterloo students or have an office in Waterloo.

What is Sole Proprietorship?

Example: Pri~ Photography

A lot of start-up companies begin as a form of sole proprietorship because it’s simple to do and doesn’t require registration. A sole proprietorship is completely and wholly owned by one person and is considered an extension of you and your assets. Friends that you may have who are freelance writers, photographers and graphic designers operate as a sole proprietorship.

The great thing about this is that the income and expenses of the business can be filed under your personal tax return; but be wary, the dangers lie within the fact that the owner has a personal liability to the business. It is important to evaluate the business model and analyze it and see if this is a safe risk to take.

What is a Partnership?

Example: Miller Thomson

A partnership is a structure all entrepreneurs should consider if they don’t want to do it alone. A partnership exists between two or more people and does not require a written contract.

Each partner needs to file the transactions of the business on their own income tax return with respect to their own share of the business. There may be some GST/HST rebates too!

Although having partners is a plus (it’s fun to work with friends), responsibilities within the company also need to be legally delegated.

For example, a company can choose to split the liabilities such that one partner owns the working space and another owns the clientele. If the company is unable to pay for the working space on time, this is now a legal liability on the one partner’s whose name is on paper for the space and not the company as a whole.

Another common issue is the dissolving of a partnership. You and your partners may have a great idea and start putting equal amount of effort into getting the company going, but many partnerships soon run into obstacles where one individual invests more time into the company than the other.

The result is that the partnership dissolves and the company needs to be rebuilt.

What is a Corporation?

Examples: CrossChasm Technologies Inc., Sweet Tooth Rewards

This brings us to our last type of business ownership: corporations.

To become incorporated is like creating a new life form; the company is now a separate legal entity and has the same rights and obligations under Canadian law as a natural person, and can sign contracts and own properties.

A corporation has it’s own personal income tax to file. The benefit is that there is a possibility of lower tax rates. Corporations also need to be more structured, requiring an outline of shareholders, directors, and officers. Getting incorporated can pose important legal implications to the founding team and the sharing of ownership.

Most brands we recognize today are corporations, but many started off as either a sole proprietorship or a partnership and then evolved into a corporation.

Choosing the right type of business ownership is crucial for the success and growth of the business. Before determining the structure of your business, you should consider the size, people involved and the capital you have assess to.

I’m pretty sure you know this already, but the heart is responsible for pumping blood throughout our entire body by contracting rhythmically.

The fresh supply of blood carries many compounds, but one of the most important is hemoglobin bound to oxygen which is how our organs and tissue cells have access to oxygen.

Our hearts have a resting average heart rate of 72 beats per minute, but this can be drastically lower in trained athletes.

Lance Armstrong for example, the champion of all men, has a resting heart rate of 32 beats per minute. That is less than half of the average; ridiculousness.

A heart is 250—350 grams on average, which is the weight of a cracker box or so, but again athlete’s can have bigger hearts due to all of their intensive training.

I went to the Bodyworld exhibit a few years back and saw the heart of an athlete (I don’t remember whose) that was easily twice the size of a regular human heart.

The heart is typically located on the left side of the human chest and is surrounded by the pericardium.

The pericardium is a sac that protects our heart, keeping it anchored in the right place and stopping it from overfilling with blood.

If you took grade 12 biology, you likely remember having to memorize the structure of the heart and the flow of blood.

The heart has four chambers, two superior atria and two inferior ventricles.  The atria act as a receiving area for the blood and the ventricles discharge the blood.

Blood without oxygen flows into the heart through the superior vena cava, one of the main veins of the body — you may have heard this term on CSI, in to the right atrium.

The blood is pumped through a tricuspid valve which prevents back flow, into the right ventricle and is then pumped out of the heart and towards the lungs.  As the blood passes through the lungs, it picks up oxygen on hemoglobin molecules, which carry the oxygen in the blood and give blood its distinctive coloring.

The blood returns from the lungs, enters through the pulmonary veins into the left atrium, through the mitral valve and in to the left ventricle.  The blood then leaves via the aortic valve to the aorta, which then helps circulate blood.

The contractions of the heart that are heard as the classic “dum dun” are related to the movement of the blood through different valves.

Blood vessels known as arteries, generally carry oxygenated blood from the heart to the tissues of the body. The blood is propelled by the pressure from the contractions of the heart.

Blood vessels that return the blood to the heart are called veins,  which don’t have the pressure of the hearts’ contraction to return the blood.  The movement of blood in the veins is propelled by our muscle movement.

The heart has long been used as a metaphor for love, and the soul.  I’m not saying that can’t be true, but here are the facts about the physiology of the heart.  Now you know a bit more about the organ that will beat over 2.5 million times in your life, keeping you alive.

The $21 million will be used for science research, the expansion of the science building and math scholarship. Graphic: Sonia Lee

Mike Lazaridis, the founder and former co-CEO of Research In Motion (RIM), and his wife Ophelia Lazaridis, have donated $21 million to the University of Waterloo’s faculties of science and mathematics. The Science facility will receive $20 million, and there is $1 million for the Math faculty.

“History has shown us that a relatively small investment in fundamental research in physics and in science today can lead to huge innovation tomorrow. Given the current challenges in the world, the need for such innovation is greater now than ever,” said Mike Lazaridis in the UW news release. “I believe that the University of Waterloo, this province and this country can play a leadership role in this regard, and we are pleased to support it.”

University of Waterloo president, Feridun Hamdullahpur, believes the gift will continue to improve the university’s ability to recruit top talent to the science and mathematics faculties.

“With their unparalleled generosity, the Lazaridis family enriches our capacity to attract exceptional individuals to join Waterloo as researchers and students,” said Feridun Hamdullahpur in the UW news release. “The problems of the world will keep getting more complex and interconnected, and we want to be the first port of call for people looking to solve intractable problems.”

The Quantum Nano Centre (QNC), which is also funded by the Lazaridis couple, is currently under construction and is scheduled to open in the Fall of 2012. The QNC is valued at over $160 million and is 285,000 square-feet, right beside IQC. It will be the home base for 500 undergraduate nanotechnology engineering students.

UW is going to conduct a global search for well-known researchers in condensed matter, and astrophysics; these programs will recieve $10 million funding from the Faculty of Science. The other $10 million will help construction of expansion of the new Nanotechnology building.

“This marvelous donation meshes perfectly with the Faculty of Science’s vision of becoming an international magnet for talent. The infusion of $10 million for the construction of our new Science Learning Centre will allow us to create a facility that will aid in attracting the best and brightest students to the faculty,” said Prof. Terrance McMahon, Dean of Science, in the release. “In addition, the funds toward the new research chairs will permit us to bring international superstars to the faculty, enhancing our already considerable research reputation.”

The $1 million grant received by the Math Faculty will fund new scholarships, which cover four years of full university costs for applicants who obtain medals in either the International Olympic in Informatics (IOI) or the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) before their final year of high school.

“Medallists in the IOI and IMO are among the best and brightest students, and are highly sought after by top universities all over the world. Scholarships covering full expenses will be vitally important to drawing IOI and IMO stars to the Faculty of Mathematics,” said Prof. Ian Goulden, Dean of Mathematics, in the release.

In 2000, Lazaridis donated $100 million personal funds to found the Perimeter Institute (PI) for Theoretical Physics.

In 2004, Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis donated $33.3 million to the University of Waterloo for Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC).

In 2005, Lazaridis donated additional $17.2 million to the IQC and the Waterloo Institute for Nanotechnology.

In 2008, he donated another $50 million to PI. In 2009, Lazaridis donated another $25 million to IQC.

Up to today, donations from philanthropists Mike and Ophelia Lazaridis to the University of Waterloo have exceeded $123 million.

— with files from the University of Waterloo

The Environment Coffee Shop has received funding for a complete renovation. The coffee shop received the full $58,050 and then some. In fact, they received $100,000 from the Waterloo Environment Students Endowment Fund.

All the renovations on this environmental hang-out will be done using environmentally friendly materials and energy-efficient machines and appliances.

They will be changing the counters, display areas, fridges, cabinets, storage, and lighting, as well as expanding the food-serving area. Expansion of the food-serving area will also permit a better food selection, giving customers more choices.

The remaining $41,950 will be allocated to a cycling and drinking water proposal by a group of graduate students. This plan will entail having more bike racks installed, some with shelters, and self-service bike repair stations.

In terms of drinking water, two water fountains in EV1 and EV2 will be redesigned to accommodate water bottles more easily, as well as filtering the water. This is in hopes that students will not resort to buying disposable water bottles.

Accounts advance in global contest

The Toronto CFA Society has selected five students from the School of Accounting and Finance at UW to move forward in global financial competition. The team consisting of, Ian Gutwinski, Michael C. Liu, Mike Y. Liu, Daniel Pacione, and Meng Wang are the official finalists in the annual CFA Institute Research Challenge.

This competition on equity research is composed of students from the top business and finance programs all over the world. The duration of the contest is a full academic year, and entails analyzing a public company chosen for the team, and presenting research.

The UW team presents their research and analysis of the Onex Corporations on March 1, 2012 to a panel of judges in Toronto.

The winner of the Toronto competition will then move on to the regional North American contest in New York City on April 10.

The winner of the New York challenge will proceed to the world wide finals in New York City on April 11, 2012.

Fundraiser for crash victims

On Feb. 13, Renison University College hosted a fundraiser in support of the families of those who were injured and killed in the car crash in Hampstead on Feb. 6. Donations to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) were accepted to benefit the families of those involved in the crash, 13 of whom worked in the agricultural industry.

The event was run with support from Rension’s School of Social Work, the Department of Social Development Studies, and the Renison Institute of Ministry.

Graduating engineers

977 students graduated from UW’s Engineering faculty and participated in the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer, receiving their Iron Ring on Friday, Feb. 10.

The first Iron Ring Ceremony at Waterloo took place in 1963, however the Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer dates back to 1922.

The Iron Ring is a symbol of the pride of being an engineer as well as a reminder of their humility and the obligation to conduct themselves professionally, but is not a symbol of qualification

The Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer intends to teach the new engineers the social significance of their future career.

— With files from Daily Bulletin and Faculty of Environment.